Artist explores ‘industry of fantasy’ in Las Vegas

The Neon Museum’s first national artist-in-residence, Whitney Lynn, will work in Las Vegas throughout the month of June.

By SARAH CORSA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

June 4, 2016 - 7:52 am

Whitney Lynn is shown at the start of her artist-in-residency at the Neon Museum at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North. (Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

This neon sign designed by Whitney Lynn was part of a 2012 public art project displayed in the Reno City Hall lobby. (courtesy)

Artist Whitney Lynn doesn’t have an interest in exiling herself to a remote cabin in the forest, or an interest in taking any institution up on its offer to put her up in such a cabin.

But Las Vegas? The city could be every bit as fertile as those verdant, natural settings, at least for making art. Lynn will find out as she spends the month of June as the national artist-in-residence with the Neon Museum — the first residency of its kind at the museum, which restores and displays signs from a bygone era.

“I think with the Neon Museum, there’s something just so incredible about seeing these signs that had a very specific function and then now, they’ve become a kind of public art. Those sort of shifts in context were really intriguing to me,” Lynn says.

The 35-year-old artist was chosen from a pool of 20 applicants for her background in signage, a subject the museum, as the home to 200 signs, emphasizes. Lynn chooses from a wide range of media when conceptualizing a piece; previous projects included sculpture, video and photography, performance and sound. Many of her previous pieces incorporate military motifs, such as a child’s couch fort made to look like a concrete bunker. Through pieces such as the 12-minute video of San Francisco’s “Bushman” blocking himself with tree branches and the performance by street musicians in the atrium at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lynn explores the role of street performers in public space.

At home in San Francisco, she teaches full time at Stanford’s interdisciplinary Honors in the Arts program in addition to producing her own work, which has been exhibited throughout California, New York, Colorado and elsewhere. In 2017, she will assume a residency at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

For Lynn, urban activity begets artistic activity. Lynn says she appreciates the Neon Museum’s approach to a residency not only because she has ample space and freedom to create on her own terms, “but also being in a city, I think there is something about. To make work, I don’t need to be isolated, like that kind of romantic idea of going away and having your space and looking out into the mountains; that actually might make me less likely to produce work, because I get ideas from seeing things.”

Although Lynn is beginning the residency with plans to produce multiple sketches and a final, full-sized sign, she and the Neon Museum have a mutual understanding that the reality she experiences in a living, breathing Las Vegas may redirect her project. She has visited Las Vegas twice before, once as a child and once for a weekend, but both trips were limited to the Strip.

“I have these ideas that I think I’m going to pursue, but then again I came up with those when I was back in San Francisco,” Lynn says during her first day in her studio. “So I’m interested to see how the process is going to shift, what that’s going to be.”

Lynn planned to spend her first week delving into the Neon Museum’s archives and walking the city before ultimately deciding what form the end product will take, be it her original plan for sketches and a sign or a video, sculpture or something else entirely. The result of her month’s work will be displayed at a studio open house from 6 to 8 p.m. June 30 at 418 W. Mesquite Ave., Suite 130.

“It’s the land of having things made — so, set design, prop designers — it’s just ripe with people that you can collaborate with and I think that that was also something that really drew me here was that potential to work with other people that are in this industry of fantasy,” Lynn says.

She will also give a talk midway through her residency at her studio on June 15 starting at 6 p.m.

On the Neon Museum’s end, CEO and President Rob McCoy says they’re on board.

“First and foremost, we want to see what she comes up with,” McCoy says. “We’re very excited to see what she winds up doing. But second of all, I think we want to be an integral part of the arts community in Las Vegas and I think this helps us get there.”

Although in the past the museum has hosted residencies for both parent artists and performing artists specifically, Lynn is the first artist chosen from a national search. This new residency is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Now we have a downtown arts district that is flourishing, it’s growing, it’s maturing and I think the fact that we’re able to have an artist-in-residency program is part of that maturation,” McCoy says.

Red Plate on the Las Vegas Strip serves a cocktail made with blooming jasmine tea

Red Plate on the Las Vegas Strip serves a cocktail made with jasmine tea

Benny the Ice Skating Dog

Benny is a Las Vegas Labrador who was rescued by former pro skater Cheryl Del Sanyo, and trained to ice skate. (Mat Luschek/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The Nevada State Museum

The Nevada State Museum of Las Vegas, located at the Springs Preserve, covers all eras of the state, from prehistoric to today.

Throw a better dinner party

Cash appears at Baseball Winter Meetings

Lights FC mascot Cash plays the electronic drums at the EZ Inflatables’ booth on Tuesday at the Baseball Winter Meetings trade show at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

5 albums to soundtrack your holiday gatherings in style

1. Various Artists, “Holidays Rule," with Rufus Wainwright, The Shins, Calexico and more.
2. Various Artists, “We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year," with Lemmy Kilmister, Alice Cooper, Chuck Billy and others.
3. Various Artists, “Christmas on Death Row," featuring Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg to name but a few.
4. Bright Eyes, “A Christmas Album.”
5. Various Artists, "The Motown Christmas Album." (Jason Bracelin/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Inside the kitchen at Springs Preserve

The staff of Divine Events do party preparation in the kitchen at Divine Cafe at Springs Preserve. With nine parties the following day, this is a particularly busy time for the crew. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

WinterFest

WinterFest in Henderson.

Miss Rodeo America Fashion Show

The 28 women contestants of Miss Rodeo America compete in a fashion show at the Tropicana on Dec. 7, 2018.

Tournament Of Kings Holiday Show

Wizards and warriors are ready for the holidays at Excalibur's Tournament of Kings Holiday Dinner Show.

Take a dive with the Silverton mermaids

A visit to the Silverton Casino Hotel is not complete without taking in the popular, and very unique, mermaid show.

Cowboys and western aficionados can buy virtually anything at Cowboy Christmas

Vegas Golden Knights Christmas Display

In the Las Vegas Valley, the chances of getting a white Christmas are slim. But this year, you can have a “Knight” Christmas. A Henderson resident has a Christmas lights display that is synchronized to the entrance music for the Golden Knights. GG Misa’s Knights light show is played every 30 minutes from 5 to 10 nightly. His light show consists of two songs: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and the entrance music, “Le Castle Vania,” from the movie “John Wick.” The display is located at 730 Bollons Island St. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Reivew-Journal)

Holiday Hooch At El Cortez is Just in Time For Repeal Day And Christmas

Holiday Hooch At El Cortez Is Just In Time For Repeal Day And Christmas. Janna Karel/Las Vegas Review-Journal

TV's LGBT superheroes

Green Valley Ranch's Winter's Village

The Mob Museum

Best Friend Menu Reveal Wednesday

Chef Roy Choi tells us what to expect from Wednesday’s Facebook Live Menu Reveal for his new Park MGM restaurant Best Friend. (Al Mancini/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Quick Chat With Criss Angel

James D. Gish and Susan Anton rehearse

Susan Anton will be special guest at James D. Gish’s holiday concerts Dec. 7 at Summerlin Library and Dec. 9 at Clark County Library. (John Przybys/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Las Vegas Natural History Museum, which opened in 1991, has exhibits of mechanical dinosaurs and taxidermied animals, along with live snakes, fish and sharks. (Mat Luschek/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Magical Forest Lights

Cirque Du Soleil Performers Team Up For New Show "Kinekt"

Through dance, acrobatics and aerial arts, “Kinekt” tells a story all too familiar to modern families: how to maintain a human connection in the digital age. (Janna Karel Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Life

Rev. Father Seraphim Ramos talks about Greek Orthodox icons during an interview with the LVRJ

Rev. Father Seraphim Ramos talks about Greek Orthodox icons during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

Holiday poultry with Tim and Chemaine Jensen of Village Meat & Wine

Tim and Chemaine Jensen of Village Meat & Wine explain the different types of poultry available for the holidays. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Catholic Charities hosts early Christmas meal

Students from the Bishop Gorman High School football and cheerleader team helped to serve food at the Christmas meal sponsored by the Frank and Victoria Fertitta Foundation at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada on Sunday. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Incarcerated Christmas

This is the fourth year HOPE for Prisoners has worked with the Nevada Department of Corrections to create a Christmas for prisoners to visit their families. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

2018 Homeless Vigil

Straight From The Streets holds its 23rd annual vigil to remember the 179 homeless individuals who died in Clark County this year.

Operation Homefront Holiday Meals for Military program gave meal kits to 200 families at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10047 in Las Vegas Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. It all started with a chance encounter in a supermarket in Utica, N.Y., near Fort Drum. A soldier, his wife and infant had a handful of grocery items they couldn't afford. A Beam Suntory employee picked up the $12 cost for the groceries. The program has grown from providing 500 meal kits to military families in 2009 to providing more than 7,000 nationally this holiday season.K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto

An elegant Tea Party for substance abuse and homeless women

An elegant Tea Party for substance abuse and homeless women at WestCare Women Children Campus in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

Former 51s manager Wally Backman chats about new job

Former Las Vegas 51s manager Wally Backman talks about his new job with the independent league Long Island Ducks during the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 10, 2018. (Ron Kantowski/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Inside the kitchen at Springs Preserve

The staff of Divine Events do party preparation in the kitchen at Divine Cafe at Springs Preserve. With nine parties the following day, this is a particularly busy time for the crew. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

U.S. Army Corps Edward Hall, a 95-year-old survivor of Pearl Harbor talks about his memories of that horrific day. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

Roy Choi on cooking for Park MGM employees

As he prepares to open his new restaurant Best Friend later this month at Park MGM, celebrity chef Roy Choi took the time to cook for the resort’s employees Tuesday. (Al Mancini/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Best Friend Menu Reveal Wednesday

Chef Roy Choi tells us what to expect from Wednesday’s Facebook Live Menu Reveal for his new Park MGM restaurant Best Friend. (Al Mancini/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Las Vegas Great Santa Run

People participated in the 14th annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run which raises cubs for Opportunity Village.

World Holidays Exhibit At The Natural History Museum

Migratory Bird Day teaches adults and kids to celebrate birds

Different organizations offered activities for kids and adults to learn about birds and celebrate their migration journey at Sunset Park. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

"Jackson: The Red Rock Canyon Burro" is a children's book about Red Rock Canyon

Behind the scenes with local celebrity photographer Jerry Metellus as he talks about his Dance For Vegas coffee book dedicated to the 58 victims of the October 1 shooting. (Marcus Villagran/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @marcusvillagran